


Of Sugarplum Fairies and Candy Canes

by xtremeroswellian



Series: Who I Am, What I'll Become [17]
Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: And wearing an apron, Angel still feels guilty so he's baking, Christmas, Families of Choice, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, X-Files references all over
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23863300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Cordelia plans Christmas dinner and spends Christmas Eve with her "family."
Relationships: Angel & Cordelia Chase & Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
Series: Who I Am, What I'll Become [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716577
Kudos: 5





	Of Sugarplum Fairies and Candy Canes

Wesley Wyndham-Pryce wasn't accustomed to Christmas dinners and family holiday get togethers. His own family had barely acknowledged the holiday. Or him for that matter.

But somehow he'd allowed Cordelia into coercing him away from his research into the serial killer to come over to her place on Christmas Eve. To be completely honest, it hadn't taken much effort on her part.

He had been researching with Deteective Lockley practically non-stop and he was tired. Furthermore, so was Kate. He'd talked her into taking the evening off as well.

But when he started to knock on Cordelia's door and Phantom Dennis opened it for him instead, he regretted that decision almost instantly.

Bright, flashing lights were strung all around the room. A beautiful white Christmas tree was decorated with purple and blue ornaments and another string of lights, and an angel was perched on top of the tree. "Sleigh Ride" poured from the speakers in the corner.

Wesley reluctantly stepped forward and closed the door behind him. He shook his head in amazement and looked around. He'd just been here yesterday and the place had been normal.

He took off his coat, hung it on the rack, and moved to the kitchen, smelling something sweet. Angel must be cooking, he thought.

Still feeling guilty, no doubt.

He froze when he saw that it was Cordelia, not Angel, who was cooking. She was faced away from him, the portable phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. She was rolling dough out with a rolling pin.

And the entire kitchen was a wreck.

There were open canisters on the counter, dirty dishes threatened to overflow the sink, bits of batter and dough clung to every visible surface, cookie cutters strung across the kitchen table (at least he though* it might be the kitchen table), a broken egg shell on the floor, and of course, there was Cordelia herself.

Who was currently covered in a thin layer of flour.

"Good Lord," he said under his breath.

"Okay, great. I'll see you tomorrow then," she said cheerfully. She set the rolling pin on the counter and turned the phone off, hanging it back on the hook.

Wesley noticed with some amusement that it was also now covered in flour.

"Hey, Wes. I didn't hear you come in," Cordelia said with a wide smile.

"Dennis let me in. Where's Angel?" he asked, glancing around suspiciously.

"Oh, he's--"

"Cordelia, where'd you say you kept the extra--:" Angel stopped mid-sentence as he caught sight of Wesley. He stood in the kitchen entrance, totally covered in cookie batter and flour--including the pink apron tied around his waist.

Wesley stared at him for a moment, stunned. It only took a few seconds for the shock to wear off. Then he began to laugh.

Angel glared at him, quickly shucked off the apron, and retreated into the bathroom. The door slammed shut a second later.

Wesley shook his head, wiped the tears from his cheeks and looked at Cordelia. He didn't even want to know how she'd managed to talk Angel into wearing that.

"What?" she asked innocently.

He just raised an eyebrow and watched as she went back to rolling dough again.

"So what's Kate doing for Christmas?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? You've spent practically every waking moment with her for the past week and a half and you don't know what her plans for the holidays are?" Cordelia demanded, giving him her what's-wrong-with-you look.

"We've been working to catch a killer. It's hardly been social hour," he reminded her a bit defensively.

"Yeah, and it really takes a whole hour to ask what she's doing for Christmas," she replied sarcastically.

"And why are you so suddenly concerned about Detective Lockley's plans, anyway?"

She turned away from him. "No one should be alone on Christmas, Wesley."

Wesley frowned at the sudden change in her voice. "Well, perhaps I could call her--"

"No. I'll do it," Cordelia said quickly. She held the rolling pin out to him and grabbed the phone again. "If you could just get all the air pockets out of that and then use those little snowman cookie cutters and put them in this pan I'd appreciate it. Thanks." She left the room without giving him a chance to argue.

With an amused sigh, Wesley went to work.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cordelia closed her bedroom door and quickly dialed Kate's number.

She answered on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Kate? Hi, this is Cordelia."

"Oh, hi," the other woman said in surprise.

"Listen, I'm having a little Christmas dinner party tomorrow here at my place and I was really hoping you would come."

"I don't--"

"Because I'm feeling a little out-numbered. All the other people I invited are guys, and I would really like to have my only female friend in town here to keep me company," she added quickly.

There was a pause. "What time?"

Cordelia smiled. "I'm planning to serve dinner around noon, but feel free to come earlier."

"I'll try to make it."

"Thank you!" Cordelia hung up the phone with a satisfied grin.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Driven by a tragic fear of separation, they forged a lover's pact. So that they might spend eternity together. And not spend one precious Christmas apart."_

_"They killed themselves?"_

_"And their ghosts haunt this house every Christmas Eve. I just gave myself chills."_

_"It's a good story, Mulder. And very well told. But I don't believe it."_

_"You don't believe in ghosts?"_

_"That surprises you?"_

_"Well, yeah. I thought everybody believe in ghosts."_

_"Mulder, if it were any other night, I might let you talk me into it. But the halls are decked and I gotta go."_

"She's gonna go after him," Cordelia said assuredly as she snuggled down on the couch between Angel and Wesley. "She always goes after him. You'll see."

_"Give my best to the family."_

_"What are you doing? Mulder, don't you have somewhere to be?"_

_"I'm just gonna take a look."_

_"I'm not gonna do it. My New Year's resolution. Mulder!" Onscreen, FBI Agent Dana Scully chased after her partner as he entered the haunted house._

"Told you she'd go after him," Cordelia said, smiling.

"How many times have you seen this episode?" Wesley asked, glancing at her sideways.

"That's beside the point," she said. "Man, I miss these old episodes."

"The show wasn't cancelled was it?" he asked in confusion.

"No. But Mulder was abducted by aliens and the show's just not the same without him." She sighed.

"I don't know why you're so fascinated with this show, Cordelia. You know all the stuff they show on there is real. Don't you want to watch something that doesn't have to do with work?" Wesley asked her.

"I don't watch it for the plot, Wesley. I watch it for Mulder and Scully. I mean, look at them. Could they _have_ more chemistry between them?" She motioned to the television, where the two agents were checking out the house. "What I don't get is how two people can be so completely in love with each other and not know it."

"Maybe they do know it but won't acknowledge their feelings for one another because it's too dangerous," Angel spoke up, his gaze fixed on the screen.

"But it'll happen eventually. I mean, it has to, right? People can only take so much denial before the truth comes out," Cordelia said, feeling anxious all of a sudden.

"What about the Smoking Man? You don't think he's really dead, do you?" Wesley interjected.

"Of course not, Wesley. You can't kill something or someone that's pure evil."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as the episode of The X-Files ended, Cordelia shut the tv off and sprang to her feet. "Okay! Time for presents and candy canes!"

Wesley and Angel exchanged a look as she knelt down under the tree and removed three packages: one labeled Angel, one labeled Wesley, and the last one labeled Phantom Dennis. Then she grabbed a small box of candy canes off the table.

"Okay, we have five different flavors: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon, or boring old peppermint." She grabbed a vanilla one for herself and handed the box to Wesley, who stared at her inquisitively. "It's a Chase family tradition."

Wesley sighed, but selected a peppermint one and passed the box to Angel, who took a chocolate one just to be polite.

"Okay, Phantom Dennis! I know you've been dying to know what this is. Uh, sorry," she said, rolling her eyes. "Not a good expression. Anyway, here you go."

The package drifted out of her hands and paper dropped to the floor. A moment later a large washable board and marker floated out. The marker moved across the board and wrote the words, "Thank you."

Cordelia smiled. "You're welcome. Wesley, head's up!" She tossed him the package.

Wesley unwrapped the gift and pulled out a warm gray sweater she'd picked out for him. "Thank you," he said with a smile.

She took a deep breath and handed the final present to Angel, her hands a little more shaky than they had been. She waited nervously as he unwrapped it.

Inside lay a large, leather-bound sketch book.

Angel looked up and met her eyes. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"Open it," she urged softly.

Angel carefully opened the cover and gazed at the inside of the book. In Cordelia's neat handwriting was scrawled:

_"No more be grieved at that which thou hast done:_  
Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud;  
Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun..." 

_-From Shakespeare, Sonnet XXXV._

He looked at her again. She was sitting on the edge of her chair, carefully studying the floor. Angel leaned forward, placed the expensive sketch pad on the coffee table, then got to his feet. He moved over to her and engulfed her in a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome," she said softly.

"I have a surprise for you, too. It's uh...it's not tangible, but..."

Cordelia looked at him in confusion.

"You know that New Year's party that Liz is having?"

Her eyes widened in shock. "Angel--"

"I know you really want to go, so...I called her and told her we'd be there." He turned to face Wesley. "All three of us."

"But, Angel, you can't risk exposing yourself to the sunlight," Wesley said with a frown.

"I won't be. Oz is going to let us borrow his van. You or Cordy can drive and I'll stay in the back."

"When do we leave?"

Angel turned to see Cordelia again. Her eyes were bright with excitement and he smiled. "We leave December 30th."

"What about Angel Investigations?"

"Oz and Gunn will take over for a few days," Angel informed them.

"Oh! This is so exciting! I have to call Liz!" Cordelia squealed. She practically skipped into the kitchen.

Angel smiled and looked at Wesley.

"Angel, I think you just made her very happy."

"Good," he said quietly. "That was the point."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel closed the door behind Wesley as he left Cordelia's apartment, promising to return around 11 the next morning.

He turned his attention back to Cordelia, who was lying curled up on the sofa, her eyes closed. He wasn't sure if she was asleep or not and was half-afraid to disturb her.

"When I was eight, I was one of the sugarplum fairies in my ballet class's production of The Nutcracker."

Angel was startled for a moment. Then he moved over and sat down on the floor next to the sofa and waited for her to continue.

She did, her eyes still shut. "There was this girl in my class. Sabrina. She was a couple years older than me and she hated me. I don't know why, but she did. She made it her duty in life to make my life a living hell. Unfortunately, she was also my dancing partner. So on Christmas Eve we were ready to perform the play and my parents were both there in the front row. When our big scene came up, Sabrina kicked my right foot out from under me and I fell. In front of everyone. Everybody started laughing. Except my parents. They got up and left because they were so embarrassed. I had to go to the e.r. in an ambulance. I'd broken my leg in two places and wound up spending all of Christmas in the hospital. Our maid came to pick me up two days later. That uh...that was the last performance of mine my parents ever attended."

Before he had a chance to say anything, Cordelia opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow, gazing at him worriedly. "What if I mess up tomorrow?"

Angel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...I invited all these people over for Christmas dinner...what do I really know about cooking, or holidays, even? What if I like, drop the turkey in front of everyone or something?"

He shook his head. "You won't."

Cordelia's eyes were shiny with tears. "But what if I do?"

Angel cupped her cheek gently. "Then we'll clean it up and serve something else."

His words seemed to soothe her and her eyes drifted shut again, his hand still touching her face. He couldn't help but notice how soft her skin was. He unconsciously began to stroke her cheek with his thumb as he gazed at her.

His eyes dropped momentarily to her lips and he suddenly had the urge to see if they were as soft as her cheek. He was startled at the sudden direction his thoughts were taking.

Cordelia opened her eyes and they stared at each other for a long moment, not speaking. Angel knew he should have pulled his hand away, but he couldn't seem to do it.

After another long moment that seemed to last for an eternity, Cordelia pulled away, sitting up. "I should get to bed. Big day tomorrow."

"Right." He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts.

Cordelia stood up and gazed down at him for a second, looking as though she had something she wanted to say. She hesitated. "Goodnight, Angel."

He looked up at her. "Goodnight, Cordy."

Angel watched her as she retreated down the hallway. He sat by himself in the darkness for a long time, lost in his own thoughts.


End file.
